Ball suitable for water games

• US 7,559,862 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2005
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waboba AB
• Original Assignee: Waboba AB
• Inventors: Von Heland, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, STEVEN B
• Application Number:
  US11/572,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20080045364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 473/594, 473/595, 473/596, 473/600, 473/603, 473/609, 473/574, 473/575, 473/352, 473/354, 473/577
• US Class Current: 473/594
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2037/085 liquid, jellylike
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2209/00 Characteristics of used materials
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/60 Apparatus used in water
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/605 Floating
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/00 Solid balls; Rigid hollow balls; Marbles heavy throwing balls A63B65/06
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 37/08 Liquid cores; Plastic cores

Abstract

A ball suitable for water games includes a gel section only comprising a gel, an outer elastic shell section provided above an exterior surface of the gel section, and a floating enhancement section in the interior of the ball adjacent the gel section and including a plastic material and a gas. The ball may have both bouncing and floating properties.

Claims

1. A ball suitable for water games, the ball comprising:

a gel section only comprising a gel and having an exterior surface;

an outer elastic shell section provided above the exterior surface of the gel section; and

a floating enhancement section in an interior of the ball adjacent the gel section and comprising a plastic material and gas;

wherein the gel section is provided as a core of the ball, the plastic material of the floating enhancement section is provided around the gel section and comprising at least one layer of plastic material between the gel core and the outer elastic shell section, and the diameter of the gel core is larger than the thickness of the floating enhancement section.

2. The ball according to claim 1, wherein the floating enhancement section comprises a porous plastic material, which includes said gas.

3. The ball according to claim 2, wherein the porous plastic material is a foamed plastic material.

4. The ball according to claim 2, wherein the porous plastic material is styrene-butadiene rubber.

5. The ball according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the porous plastic material is in the range of between 0.5 and 1.5 mm.

6. The ball according to claim 1, wherein the floating enhancement section comprises a cavity only filled with gas and defined by a layer of non-porous plastic material.

7. The ball according to claim 6, wherein said layer of plastic material is formed of a thermoplastic material.

8. The ball according to claim 6, wherein the thickness of the non-porous plastic material is in the range of between 0.05 and 0.2 mm.

9. The ball according to claim 1, wherein the outer elastic shell section comprises a stretchable fabric layer.

10. The ball according to claim 9, wherein the outer elastic shell section comprises a shell enhancement layer fastened to the stretchable fabric layer.